[Editor's note: The following contains spoilers through the Season 1 finale of Loki, "For All Time. Always."]
Loki Season 1 has come to a close, with the biggest twist perhaps being that there would be a second season. However, the morning that Collider spoke with director Kate Herron about Loki, it was revealed that she would not be returning to direct the next installment of the story.
This meant our conversation later that day could focus on the production of Season 1, specifically how COVID affected things, how the season comes full circle for her, and how she feels about the tragedy of Mobius and the jet-ski. Though first, we did break down when, approximately, the decision to continue the story was made.
Collider: So we don't have to waste any time talking about the question of whether or not you're coming back for Season 2, because that cat's out of the bag. But when did you have the realization that there would be a Season 2?
KATE HERRON: So I would say the decision for that came from Marvel and Disney, and I thought it was just the highest compliment to everyone's work on the show. They were just excited by the stories and by the amazing work that the writers and the actors were doing. And I thought that was so cool because there's so many unanswered questions. it's like, where did Renslayer ago? What are B-15's memories? Who is she? And also beyond that, where the hell is Loki? Yeah, I think there's definitely more road to travel. And as everyone knows, in the comics, even with six hours, we scratched the surface of who Loki is, so I think there's so much more to be explored.
In terms of when we knew, I can't honestly remember now because my handle on time is so all over the place, but I feel like it was towards the end, maybe, of the second shoot. We shot in two bits because of COVID... I think, from what I remember, actually, it might've even been a bit later than that because we filmed the very ending, the ending ending, he goes into that alternate TVA, that was very late in the day, and we added that later.
So I think that we were always trying to tell a complete story. It was always about Loki's identity. The first line of the show is "who are you?" and the last line of the show is "who are you?" And I think that was something we would always try and dig into is, "What makes a Loki tick? Who is a Loki?" And I feel like we've got to dig into that, but I'm really pleased they're going to dig into it more.
How did COVID change production, as in how did it affect basic plans for the construction of the season?
HERRON: Yeah, of course. So basically, when we stopped filming, I just filmed the majority of Episode 1 and Episode 2, I think. Yes, and bits of Episode 4 because I mainly filmed a lot of stuff in the TVA. I think, honestly, like so many people, we tried to make the best of a really horrific situation. I was cutting what we'd already shot. And I think from that we found even just little things, like episode one, that the conversation between these two characters was so riveting and so exciting. And I think that gave us real confidence when we were looking at the finale episode. We knew we wanted to have it bookend a conversation, but it just gave us even more. I think we used to have an action sequence in that at the very beginning, and we were like, "Well, actually, no. Let's leave it out, and let's just save that until the very end of the episode."
I think little things like that, little nuances with the characters — it just gave us longer to just dig into the story. So like I said, we just tried to use the time to tell the best story we could, honestly. And really, in terms of the actual shoot, going back, I mean, Tom was amazing, and I think everyone was just very empathetic and very kind to each other because we were all making it in very extraordinary circumstances. So I feel very bonded and close with all the cast and crew. I feel like we all kind of took care of each other, and yeah, I think it I'm very grateful to everyone because it wasn't easy filming in COVID, and we were asking a lot of people, even just our actors who were making up our TVA staff were in quarantine. They all had to isolate for weeks on their own so we could safely film that stuff.
Eric Martin, one of the writers, tweeted something about how he wanted there to be more Mobius and Ravonna material, saying that unfortunately, COVID "got in the way and we just didn't have time." Can you say a little bit about what we would have seen in those scenes?
HERRON: I'm trying to work out what he's alluding to because we definitely would have loved to see more Renslayer and Mobius, but I don't know if there was ever like ... I don't want to misspeak, but we didn't cut anything. And it wasn't really COVID-led because we filmed quite a lot in the office. I think it's more just came down to what we could do in the six hours. All these characters are so cool, and you can only kind of dig into them so much, really, within the time. So I think that also kind of warranted like, "Oh, there's so much more road to travel here, so let's dig into these characters in future seasons."
I mean, speaking of, I know you're not coming back, but how much do you wish you would have been able to film Mobius on a jet ski?
HERRON: So I guess that's the task, right? Of whoever directs it next, they have to get him on his jet ski.
We were all waiting for it. We were all so excited.
HERRON: If that's not the opening of Season 2... But yeah, it was funny, actually, because I think me and the writers and everyone who worked on the show, we were also delighted because, obviously, seeing everyone, they loved the jet skis. And we were like, "There was so much stuff," and we were like, "Oh, man." Because we all knew, obviously, he was not going to be on one. So I think definitely; I'm sure that will be a treat for the next season.
I mean, I ran a Twitter poll, "Which is your favorite romance on Loki?" And Mobius and the jet-ski won well over Loki and Sylvie.
HERRON: Well it's like one for the ages, isn't it?
It is.
HERRON: Yeah.
Speaking with the speaking of the Loki and Sylvia relationship, how do you feel about it in the long run? Do you feel like there's still a future for those characters together? Or do you feel like it really is a final breakup?
HERRON: I always feel, to me, I think in terms of where we leave them, I really loved that because I think that, for me, I feel like that kiss is a goodbye from Sylvie. And it's painful. She is grabbing the TemPad, but I don't think it's not an earnest kiss from her. I think that it's like "Goodbye, but I have to do the mission." And I think, for me, I always think of where she is emotionally at. It's almost where Loki was in Thor. She's driven by pain and revenge and anger, and our Loki has moved beyond that, now. He's on a very different path, and he's obviously done a lot of self-reflection and self-healing, his therapy with Mobius.
Sylvie hasn't had that, though, and she's had a very different life. And I think that was really important for me as well with Loki in the time theater. When he lands in there, it's like everyone feels like after a breakup or something when your heart is shattered. But I think what was so important to me was that our Loki has been on such a journey, and he's so much stronger now than when he started. And that's why I wanted to film that shot that way, that we stay with him, but you see him sort of collect himself, and that Lokis always survive, and that he's like, "Okay, that was terrible, but I'm very strong and I'm going to get through this." I think that was really important to show. But how they meet again, what will come of them, that would be a question for the writers to go on. But yeah, I feel like Sylvie has a big journey to go on, similar to our Loki, in terms of where she's at, at least at the moment.
Loki Season 1 is streaming now on Disney+.